LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Dyfed 2031 (None)
NMR: SN 75 NW (303624)
SM: CD066
NGR: SN73205980
X: 273200 Y: 259800 (OSGB36)
Very exposed and high, univallate, contour hillfort located on, naturally strong, rounded summit commanding headwaters of the Groes Fawr valley to S with Groes Fechan to N. Very steep surrounding slopes, except slight saddle on N where ridge continues. Extensive surrounding views on all sides. Pear-shaped measuring c. 133m WSW-ESE by 110m overall, with overall footprint c. 1.5ha. Internal area defined from OS/Satellite imagery at 0.95ha. Slight defences remain, with low earth and stone bank to c. 4m wide and 0.5m to 1m high externally. Best on SE side. No ditch. Irregular quarry hollows source of rampart material; now water-filled in places. Possible additional bank on E side where most approachable. Entrance on E tip, with slightly inturned S bank terminal, and chevaux de frise on SE side could also have played a part in the entrance configuration. No features in interior, but boggy area near summit could have been a water-source. Has been considered unfinished because of its irregular features, but low banks could have been surmounted by a palisade, but there is no evidence for this and the very exposed situation no doubt subject to severe erosion over time. Moorland vegetation. On 1st Ed. OS map (1888-91). Minimal investigations, undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -429439 Y: 6840318 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -3.8577172796944557 Latitude: 52.22173712723889 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Ceredigion
Historic County: Cardiganshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Tregaron
Rampart slight. Very exposed situation probably severely eroded.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
High moorland.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✓ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
High, univallate, contour hillfort located on, naturally strong, rounded summit commanding headwaters of the Groes Fawr valley to S with Groes Fechan to N. Very steep surrounding slopes, except where slight saddle on N where ridge continues.
| Contour Fort | ✓ |
| Partial Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Promontory Fort | ✗ |
| Hillslope Fort | ✗ |
| Level Terrain Fort | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort | ✗ |
| Hilltop | ✓ |
| Coastal Promontory | ✗ |
| Inland Promontory | ✗ |
| Valley Bottom | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop | ✗ |
| Ridge | ✗ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp | ✗ |
| Hillslope | ✗ |
| Lowland | ✗ |
| Spur | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature: Hill top
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 500.0m
N/A
None
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1888-91). Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey 2006.
| Other (2006): | Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey. |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None): | OS map. |
Quarry hollows.
Boggy area in interior near summit could have been a source of water.
| None | ✗ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
Quarry hollows.
| No Known Features | ✗ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Geophysics | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Finds | ✓ |
| Pottery | ✗ |
| Metal | ✗ |
| Metalworking | ✗ |
| Human Bones | ✗ |
| Animal Bones | ✗ |
| Lithics | ✗ |
| Environmental | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
NO APPARENT FEATURES
| APs Not Checked | ✓ |
| None | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Entrance on E tip, with slightly inturned S bank terminal, and chevaux de frise on SE side could also have played a part in the entrance defences.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✓
Chevaux de frise on SE side could have played a part in the entrance configuration.
| 1. In-turned (East): | Slightly inturned S bank terminal. |
Slight defences remain, with low earth and stone bank to c. 4m wide and 0.5m to 1m high externally. Best on SE side. Possible additional bank on E side where most approachable. No ditch.
| Area 1: | Noneha. |
| Total: | Noneha. |
Total Footprint Area: 1.5ha.
None
| ✗ | External area c. 1.5ha. Internal area not defined. |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Earth and stone bank. Has been considered unfinished because of its irregular features, but low banks could have been surmounted by a possible palisade, but there is no evidence for this and the very exposed situation no doubt subject to severe erosion over time.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✓ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✓ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Murus Duplex | ✗ |
| Timber-framed | ✗ |
| Timber-laced | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | No ditch defined. |
Number of Ditches: 0
| ✗ | None |
Driver, T. 2005. The Hillforts of North Ceredigion: Architecture, Landscape Setting and Cultural Contexts, PhD thesis, The University of Wales, Lampeter, unpublished.
Driver, T. 2013. Architecture, Regional Identity and Power in the Iron Age Landscapes of Mid Wales : The Hillforts of North Ceredigion. Oxford, Archaeopress: British Archaeological Report 583.
Murphy, K, Ramsey, R. and Page, M. 2006. A survey of defended enclosures in Ceredigion 2006: Gazetteer of Ordnance Survey Grid Squares SN75, SN76, SN77 and SN78, Project Report No. 2006/20, Project Record No. 54269, Llandeilo: Cambria Archaeology.
Atlas of Hillforts:
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This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
and should be cited as:
Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk
Document Version 1.1